How Can Music Be Worse Now?
"Engineers use compressors and limiters to reduce the distance between a song's peaks and valleys and then raise the average signal level. Done well, this can boost the volume without sacrificing punch, definition, or clarity."
"Thing is, it's usually done poorly. A look at waveforms over time shows unintended distortion and squashed dynamics. In 1980, AC/DC's 'Back in Black' was good and loud; the signal had plenty of room to breathe. During the '90s, producers began gradually (and artificially) inflating the volume. By 2000, Fuel's 'Last Time' filled nearly every one of the CD's bits with a constant din. Now fast-forward to Celine Dion's 2003 hit. The audio signal seems to show that her music is as aggressive as Fuel's. Hardly. 'I Drove All Night' is just louder than the reference work from those bands." (Rowan, 2004)
